Olympic 2012 Tickets

[Dave]

I can't believe no one has begun a thread on this yet. It is the talk of dinner parties all over the UK, and the subject of countless Blogs.

Was the allocation system fair? And did you get any?

It has been called a farce and is the subject of endless criticism. I'm not sure I could have devised a fairer system, but can I really be subjective since I am a part of the process itself, and at the moment, still don't know if I was successful? I mean, everyone who didn't get tickets is going to be disappointed, and presumably those who did will think it was fine.

Personally, as it stands at the moment, I got absolutely none of the £1200 worth of tickets I initially applied for. I thought that was particularly unfair, until I learned that it gave me priority to enter the second 'first come first served' sale last Friday. I pitied those who got one ticket to some obscure sport that they added only at the last minute for a laugh.

Unfortunately, I then learned that actually 1.2 million of 2 million applicants didn't get any tickets. That's about 60%. Surely that can't be right? Then we learn that many of those tickets went to EU residents under EU competition rules. They say that works both ways. Maybe, but I actually went to the German website and all there was left was Wrestling, Weightlifting and Basketball. Nothing that gives access to the Olympic Park.

The thing is, British taxpayers have also heavily contributed towards the Olympics. London taxpayers have contributed even more - Ken Livingstone's famous 'Walnut Whip' a week, revised later to 2 'Walnut Whips' a week - which I work out at about £2500 for myself and another £2500 for my wife. Surely, we should have been given some priority?

And what about athletes families, surely they should have had priority for tickets too? It is scandalous that families of athletes cannot see them.

And then there are the corporate sponsors, people like Thomas Cook, reselling the tickets, but only if you take a £1000 hotel room with them. Why do I want a hotel room when I live here already?

Anyway, yesterday morning at 6am I was there knocking at the website. one among 1.2 million people applying for 600 athletics tickets (because no one was really interested in Football or Greco-Roman Wrestling.)

This seems very unfair on those without a computer, or shift workers, or those who aren't computer literate, but hey really did I care about them at 6am in the morning?

I took advice from my children, since applying for concert and festival tickets is apparently even harder (but somehow they do manage to tell you immediately if you were successful or not.) I was on the website refreshing away until the link came up.

I got the same message at the card payment stage that everyone else did, but instead of starting all over again (big mistake people) I went back a page and resubmitted. After a number of times I almost gave up.

Why do they even need to check my card details anyway - they've held them for over a year and they checked them once already????

And so I got an email back timed at 06.10am saying my submission had been received. What exactly does that mean???

The only hope I still cling to is that from what I've read, many people didn't get emails until 6.30am and that by 06.45am everything had already gone. But I think that even if I was successful, I have to agree with all the others, it is a complete and utter farce!

So I'm not overly hopeful but I'll let you know.

I've read that in reality, this means that the Games are a huge success and a masterstroke - no empty seats; everyone enthused and talking about the Games (except here on Chronicles that is.) However, is that really true? There is a very bitter taste left in the mouths of a large number of people - probably about 1 million people who were sold a pig in a poke.

[Vladd67]

I think a lot of people are disillusioned with the whole idea of the London Olympics and it's whole corrupt circus. First we have the fiasco with the tickets, which of course have already been allocated to such 'notables' such as FIFA officials, I believe up to 150,000 tickets have been sent abroad. Next you have the situation in Weymouth where a public park is to be closed off for four weeks while a wall is built around it's 40,000 square metres to block the view of the Regatta from non ticket holders, these ticket holders by the way will it appears have the choice of standing up or sitting on the grass to watch the event. I hope the council refuses planning permission due to objections of local residents, but I'm not holding my breath.

[Dave]

Well, I've got "tickets"! That is all I know, not how many or which sport, just "tickets." I only want to see Athletics and it is probably Volleyball. (This year will be the last time I expect I will seem them at Crystal Palace after which everything will move to the new stadium.)

The French website crashed but at least they could tell you immediately what tickets you had got. Why not the LOCOG website?

I don't think the system is corrupt, just poorly devised. They have to give tickets to other Olympic members, and they need Corporate sponsors. FIFA may be corrupt, but then much of the rest of world is too.

However is no good Seb Coe and LOCOG saying "there was no better way," because the must have been. As many people as possible should have got a ticket in the first ballot. Allowing people up to 10 tickets in the first ballot was a mistake. I understand 4 or 5 tickets if you want to take your family. People with more kids than that wouldn't have the money anyway. And this second 'first in first served' fiasco tickets should have been restricted to 1 or 2 sports so that more people got a chance.

I was reading the comments on the BBC website and someone said that all this was middle-class whining. (Probably it is, but it is even harder on people who cannot afford to sit on vast sums of money for weeks.) He asked why Londoners and Athletes think they should get priority. Asking do people living near National Parks and Beaches get preference to go to them? However, your story shows how far he misses the point. People in National Parks do not pay higher taxes to provide for them, though they do have the inconvenience of the tourists. The people of Weymouth are no doubt paying for the very same wall which will obstruct their view.

[dwndrgn]

I don't have a stake in this being A. not an Olympic fan and B. someone who wouldn't be able to afford a ticket even if given the chance and C. don't live in the UK or Europe at all.

That being said, the big point of having the Olympic games in your area is to draw tourists and people in to spend their money and boost the economy. So, yes, the people already there aren't the people any of the tickets are aimed at.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by dwndrgn

That being said, the big point of having the Olympic games in your area is to draw tourists and people in to spend their money and boost the economy. So, yes, the people already there aren't the people any of the tickets are aimed at.

It may appear to be one big Commercial Enterprise, and I do take your point - I will stop my "middle-class moaning," because it will benefit businesses and the local economy, and indirectly therefore me, but actually, that is not "the big point of having the Olympic games in your area" at all.

Article 2: The mission of the IOC is to promote Olympism throughout the world and to lead the Olympic Movement. This includes upholding ethics in sports, encouraging participation in sports, ensuring the Olympic Games take place on a regular schedule, protecting the Olympic Movement, and encouraging and supporting the development of sport.

And unless young people get an opportunity to attend, instead of those people with big wallets, it is going to fail miserably on the "encouraging and supporting the development of sport" part. Some UK athletes are very embittered already.

[purple_kathryn]

Well I failed miserably at the first round. I had applied for over £1000 tickets for my mum and myself and got exactly 0.

2nd round, applied for 2 athletics heats and managed to get 1. I probably would've got both but I fumbled a bit getting started.

But still, we've got something finally!


we really would've liked to have seen the mens 100m final - and you probably could if you forked out £3000 each to Thomas Cook

[mosaix]

Originally Posted by Vladd67

I believe up to 150,000 tickets have been sent abroad.

Isn't that where the majority of the athletes come from?

[Ursa major]

There was a story on the front page of the Sunday Times (I'd post a link, but it'll be behind the paywall) to the effect that 8000 tickets for the 100-metres final (and 8000 tickets for the opening ceremony), have been withheld from sale to the public.

Before anyone starts leaping up and down decrying a bias towards corporate interests, the tickets are to be made available to the public next year. (There's a suspicion that this has been done to get people buying tickets for less-popular events.) Apparently tickets to other blue riband Olympic events ( * recalls a brand of margarine from his youth * ) will also be put on the market in 2012.

[Dozmonic]

Ever since their stance on totally and utterly refusing to even consider a change on that terrible logo I figured that things from then on would be shambolic ;-/

[Foxbat]

A friend of mine has a son who is doing very well at Badminton and is already being thought of as a future prospect to represent his country. My friend spends a lot of time (and money) transporting his son to and from matches, training etc.

He really wanted to let his son see some of the world's best players and so, applied for tickets. Guess what? Nada, nil, zilch, zero.

This guy makes a lot of sacrifice to help his lad and I think that people and families like his should be given a bit of priority.

This is just some anecdotal evidence and I'm sure there are thousands of families like this up and down the UK. Many of our future champion prospects can't get anywhere near the place.

So where is the encouragement as in the Olympic Movement?

Frankly, I think the Olympic ideals no longer apply.

[mosaix]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Frankly, I think the Olympic ideals no longer apply.

Obviously true, amateur status for Olympic athletes is no longer a requirement.

As far as the ticket allocation is concerned, I think the overriding concern is profit - sell as many tickets as you can for the highest possible price at the minimum possible cost - hence the computerisation of the allocation system. Consideration of individual cases will be the last thing on their minds.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by mosaix

As far as the ticket allocation is concerned, I think the overriding concern is profit - sell as many tickets as you can for the highest possible price at the minimum possible cost - hence the computerisation of the allocation system. Consideration of individual cases will be the last thing on their minds.

Perhaps so, but we will have no right to bleat on when our champions fail to materialise in future Olympics because we couldn't be bothered to encourage them now.

[mosaix]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

Perhaps so, but we will have no right to bleat on when our champions fail to materialise in future Olympics because we couldn't be bothered to encourage them now.

Agreed.

[purple_kathryn]

Originally Posted by Ursa major

There was a story on the front page of the Sunday Times (I'd post a link, but it'll be behind the paywall) to the effect that 8000 tickets for the 100-metres final (and 8000 tickets for the opening ceremony), have been withheld from sale to the public.

Before anyone starts leaping up and down decrying a bias towards corporate interests, the tickets are to be made available to the public next year. (There's a suspicion that this has been done to get people buying tickets for less-popular events.) Apparently tickets to other blue riband Olympic events ( * recalls a brand of margarine from his youth * ) will also be put on the market in 2012.

i would've really liked to have gone to the 100m mens final, although i think over a million people applied so an extra 8000 wouldn't have made much of a dent.

Still, rather frustrating.

I'm not going to moan about the ticket allocation because I think it's just sour grapes/disappointment on my part.

The demand was always going to massively exceed availability

[nixie]

Friend at work got tickets first time round. She wanted athletics or equestrian she got swimming.